U.S. Attorney for the District of Utah John W. Huber is investigating potential DoJ abuses (https://www.justice.gov.)

WASHINGTON – The chairs of the House Judiciary Committee and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee said even though they would prefer the appointment of a special counsel to investigate potential DoJ abuses they are nevertheless pleased with the appointment of a U.S. attorney.

“While we continue to believe the appointment of a second Special Counsel is necessary, this is a step in the right direction,” Reps. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) said in a joint statement on Thursday evening. “We expect that U.S. Attorney Huber, given his reputation, will conduct an independent and thorough investigation. Such an investigation is critical to restoring the reputation of both the Bureau and DOJ in the eyes of the American people.”

On Thursday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced in a letter to congressional Republicans that he appointed Utah U.S. Attorney John W. Huber to review the department’s handling of the Trump-Russia probe and alleged connections between the Clinton Foundation and an Obama-era uranium deal with Russia.

Last year, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein appointed former FBI Director Robert Mueller III as special counsel in the investigation into potential collusion between members of the Trump campaign and Russian officials. Sessions recused himself from the probe following reports that he had twice met with the Russian ambassador during the campaign.

Many Republicans claim the FBI and DoJ have demonstrated bias against the Trump administration and that Hillary Clinton was given special treatment during the investigation into her use of private email server while Secretary of State.